College Park, MD. . . .Archivist of the United States John W. Carlin announced today a reward of $50,000 for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons who are responsible for the December 4 fire at the National Archives storage facility in Suitland, MD. Mr. Carlin said, "We have information that the recent fire at the Suitland facility was deliberately set. We will not tolerate this attempt to jeopardize the safety of our employees or our records. By offering this reward, I am sending a very strong message that we will find the perpetrator, prosecute the individual, and make every effort to ensure that this does not happen again.

"At the same time, I want to reassure the community that the safety measures that were in place at the facility worked. The sprinkler system was activated, the alarms sounded, the fire department responded promptly. Several employees were able to bring the fire under control within a few minutes using fire extinguishers. National Archives conservators arrived at the scene within the hour to help assess the damage and begin conservation treatment to ensure that the affected records will be preserved."

For information about the reward, contact the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department at 301-77-ARSON.

For additional PRESS information, please contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at (301) 837-1700 or by e-mail. Visit the National Archives Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.archives.gov.